List of Tattoo Fonts: 1+ to Rock 2017 (Free Download)

What are Tattoo Fonts?

Tattoos define a person, communicate a message, thoughts, feelings and some are just for the fun of owning one. Others get them to feel cool or to make them look cool. However, tattoos, in the end, have a meaning for each. For any tattoo may it be expressing something meaningful or just for the hype of having one, it needs the perfect font for it. Tattoo fonts bring out the meaning, the graphic detail and wholesome picture of the tattoo. A poor typeface choice will result in a distressed looking tattoo that does not seem to feel what it is meant to express.

Tattoo Font Designs and Usage

Topography and calligraphy in tattoo designs are fundamental concepts. They bring out each style in a different way and seems to easily show the difference from one tattoo to the other in how the lettering of each character is shaped and formed. They make the characters either bold, curvy, slanting, or block and so much more ways that you can imagine. This in mind though the above-mentioned features may favour certain characters more than others. This then brings out the outstanding design of certain tattoo characters which can shape or break a tattoo design.

How to choose a Tattoo Typeface?

Certain tattoo fonts goes well with either the uppercase or the lowercase characters, and they rarely fit both purposes. Therefore it is important to choose a typeface based on the letter case for the tattoo keeping in mind the design you have imagined for it. Size is another aspect that brings out the art in any tattoo. Though small font sizes are cute and maybe the go to for the conservative, large sizes make the designs more graphic and vivid.

Is tattoo an official typographic classification?

Tattoo fonts are created based upon more common typeface classification. Typography as an art is always evolving, so some typefaces are now being classified as "Tattoo Fonts", even though it's not a commonly accepted style among type designers. They being very common most individuals can easily relate to them. However, most tattoo fonts originated from the ancient history writing styles. Graffiti has also found its niche in the tattoo font styles category. Foreign character styles are also possible such as the Chinese and Japanese characters. Some tattoo typefaces also includes their designed punctuation marks.

What to look for when choosing a tattoo font?

Every tattoo typeface as stated earlier seeks to express and to do so it needs to form its features as designed fully. Therefore a font may be more expressive in its features if it were done on a broad base or small one depending on what is being tattooed. This is why the body anatomy of any one individual will determine what kind of design and style will look good on them.

Big block like typefaces will need a big surface, and curvy ones will accentuate natural curves others will simply express the message a lot more boldly. Shoulders, arms, lower back, chest or any other body part will go well with a given font style. Their styles that are more ideal for each and any tattoo artist should be aware of which style works where. Keep in mind the anatomy when designing or selecting a tattoo font style.

The Best Tattoo Fonts List for 2017

If you’re in a hurry and can’t cover the whole list of hand-picked Tattoo typefaces we've prepared for you, here's a list of our top 5 picks:

What we like about Quicksand is how it's glyphs create a mix of lines to form a unique shape. Making it look like Andrew Paglinawan was trying to maintain a synergy between it's lines while developing ligatures for this typeface. Feel free to use it in commercial projects, or as a webfont via CSS.